White Paper- WG University as a Public Institution3

Community Relations This Community Relations section looks at how ATU can enhance its interactions with its surrounding communities, whether that entails spearheading economic developme

WHITE PAPER:

Working Group—University as a Public Institution

For ARKANSAS TECH UNIVERSITY

November 2015

General Charge:

Examine and understand the challenges and opportunities for Arkansas Tech University to develop and nurture a mutually supportive and beneficial connection with its stakeholder

communities that include—but aren’t limited to the County, the State of Arkansas and the broader regional reach of the University

In collaboration with Members: Dr Michael Rogers (Chair, Russellville Faculty)Kristy Bayer (Athletics), Angela

Bonds (Community Representative/Alum), Emily Bradley (Student Services), Kelly Davis (Alumni Relations), Randy Horton (Community Representative/Russellville Mayor), Wendi Pool (Ozark Faculty), Melissa Rose (Staff), Zachary Schwartz (Student), Dr Sandy Smith

(Russellville Faculty), and Bailey Taylor (Student)

Other Notable Contributors: Christine Austin (Assessment & Institutional Effectiveness), Dr

Marc Fusaro (College of Business), Amanda Johnson (Norman Career Services), Justin Smith (Business & Community Outreach-Ozark) and Brandon Wright (Norman Career Services)

Our working group, University as a Public Institution, has been investigating ATU’s (Arkansas Tech University) relationship with the various communities (the River Valley, the Ozarks, Arkansas, the United States, and the world) in which it operates.1 We recommend ATU consider 11 initiatives enhance these relationships and the “public goods” it provides.2 ATU already provides a number of public services That said, Tech can and should do more

As a general overview, this white paper is organized into the following themes:

Community Relations, Quality of Life, and Identity & Brand Within these general themes, each section contains initiatives designed to enhance ATU’s role as a provider of public goods;

explains how these initiatives benefit stakeholders and/or the larger communities in which Tech operates; and provides information, data and/or examples of best practices from other intuitions

Community Relations

This Community Relations section looks at how ATU can enhance its interactions with its surrounding communities, whether that entails spearheading economic development in the River Valley and Ozarks; adding infrastructure for facilitating community engagement,

internships, and experiential learning opportunities in local businesses and community

organizations; or more effectively communicating our interests to state government or improving its interactions with local government, businesses, community organizations, etc

ATU form economic development partnerships with community and business leaders, as well as local government in the River Valley and Ozarks For this, ATU needs an economic liaison as a permanent point of contact for community and economic stakeholders The goal is two-fold, to facilitate economic development projects like the El Paso-Glenwood Avenue extension corridor and to recruit new businesses so more ATU graduates find gainful employment and are retained in the River Valley and Ozarks

While the River Valley and Ozarks experienced gradual economic growth, neither has been robust in over 25 years From the earliest collection of the data to today, the annual job growth in Pope County has been 1.375%.3 In 2013 the per capita incomes of Pope County ($32,148) and Franklin County ($32,267) remained about 12% below the state average

($36,698).4 In Table 1 (Appendix B) it is apparent that the bulk of jobs are manufacturing and trade, transportation & utilities, as these jobs combine for over 40% of the industry employment

in both regions ATU graduates, particularly our best and brightest from our higher-skilled academic programs, have few options for employment in these regions that uses their degrees

If we just look at the economic growth of the largest city for these two regions,

Russellville consistently ranks 11th out of 18 cities tracked through the Arkansas Tech Business Index (ATBI) In Figure 1 (Appendix C), the economic growth of 8 Arkansas cities is tracked since 2009 Russellville underperforms when compared to these cities The economic vitality of Russellville is persistently mediocre (an ATBI score of 100 is to perform as expected or

average).5 What is it that these other 8 cities are doing to outperform Russellville? Studying these cities’ successes is the type of work an ATU economic development team should initiate

As the second largest employer in Pope County and the eleventh largest employer in Franklin County as well as the premier source of workforce development for both regions, ATU

is well positioned to drive economic development.6 Scholarship notes that prosperous economic clusters are often formed around higher education The level of prosperity within a regional economic environment is directly determined by the quality and level of participation of its

community members, discriminating consumers, competing businesses, capital resources and an active, research-capable higher education institution.7

ATU is that active, research-capable institution and needs to be a leader in these regions

at identifying, targeting and recruiting new businesses to the region Tech needs to forge the partnerships among stakeholders (like the Economic Alliance, chambers of commerce, private businesses, workforce development boards, local and state government officials, nonprofits, etc.)

to achieve robust economic growth The time to act is now, as the third largest employer for Russellville and Pope County—Arkansas Nuclear One which offers some of the highest salaries

in the region—is scheduled to decommission in 20 years (unit one in 2034 and unit 2 in 2038)

We need to be proactive, recruiting new business now to the River Valley to prepare for and counteract the loss of this important employer

To oversee such activities, Tech needs an economic liaison as a primary and consistent point of contact to work first-hand with these economic stakeholders This individual would spearhead a Tech team of faculty, staff and administration that actively support state, regional and community-based economic development efforts in the River Valley and Ozarks To

compete in our globally integrated, technology-driven world, we need economic and community partnerships that strengthen the attractiveness of these regions economically We know the key economic criteria businesses use to select new locations A 2015 survey of real estate executives revealed the top 10 most important criteria in order of importance for industry site selection They are workforce skills, state and local tax schemes, transportation infrastructure, utility infrastructure, land/building prices and supply, ease of permitting and regulatory procedures, flexibility of incentive programs, right-to-work state, availability of incentives, and access to higher education resources.8 We also know economic developers look to higher education to collect data on the availability of training and degree programs Led by its economic liaison, ATU needs to be this regional leader who partners with key economic and political stakeholders

to identify and court new businesses A few opportunities are already available, like securing the next state authorized veteran’s facility or working with Saint Mary’s Regional Hospital to fill new industry needs The University of Central Arkansas (UCA) was a key force in attracting Hewlett Packard (HP) to Conway.9 Who can ATU court to the River Valley and Ozarks?

Additionally, Tech economic development team can learn from the Ozark campus on how to build these economic relationships and the value of them ATU-Ozark routinely utilizes industry led advisory boards for their academic programs which provide industry insight into the needs each program must meet to satisfy job requirements The Russellville campus needs to adapt this model and work with businesses and/or professional schools to create partnerships to facilitate the evaluation of our academic programs to ensure they meet twenty-first century expectations An added benefit would be the economic liaison assisting our current Employer Relations Coordinator in networking and developing new employment and professional school pipelines for ATU graduates In particular, the central goal of this economic development team led by our new economic liaison position is to create opportunities for the best and brightest Tech students to secure high paying jobs in the River Valley and Ozarks

In the River Valley, Tech has already taken an important step in forging such

partnerships with its role in the Uncommon Communities’ Paint the River Valley program We need to compliment such economic initiatives with new business recruitment—particularly that

of high-tech industries, which currently are an untapped source for business growth in these regions As a preliminary project, this economic team should focus on correcting an imbalance

between supply and unmet demand by undertaking the economic development of the El Paso and Glenwood extension (this road has yet to be constructed, see Appendix D) corridor A 2012 economic impact analysis showed the financial impact of ATU students to be $219 million,

$201.1 million in Pope, Yell and Johnson counties and another $18.2 million in Franklin

County.10 Yet, how much revenue is lost on weekends when Tech students go to Fort Smith, Fayetteville, and Conway Students commented in their open forum that there must be more entertainment and nightlife options for them to stay in Russellville on weekends ATU has a great opportunity to promote economic development by—to use President Bowen’s words— turning the El Paso/Glenwood extension corridor into a “Dickson street” What restaurants, business, etc., can an ATU led economic coalition attract to Russellville to keep our students local on weekends? There is also a housing shortage in both Russellville and Ozark What could such an economic development team working with stakeholders in the real estate industry do to increase the off-campus housing options of Tech students in these regions?

Overall, the benefits from adoption of this initiative are multiple and significant It will yield more attractive and prosperous regions for all living in these communities, while increasing the prospects for employment of ATU graduates Then, a partnership between ATU campuses and various stakeholders in our surrounding communities enhances the shared social capital of all collaborators, which facilitates greater undertakings—more community and economic

development projects—in the future.11 It is imperative ATU facilitate university personnel

working with the Economic Alliance, entrepreneurs, chambers of commerce, workforce

development boards, and city officials to create new, lucrative business opportunities in the River Valley and Ozarks so more than mediocre economic growth is realized

To enhance the academic and professional training of ATU students, while also having a positive impact on local businesses and our surrounding communities, ATU should have: 1) An experiential learning office or center to facilitate service learning

2) A community engagement office or center to facilitate community service

3) One or two faculty members from each academic department designated as liaisons

to work with Norman Career Services in identifying and cultivating departmental ties to pertinent businesses and/or professional schools

Experiential Learning Office or Center

In the 1980s and 1990s, there was a revival in experiential learning Often referred to today as service-learning, Deweyian experiential learning arguments of the 1920s gained traction again in the late twentieth century and remain a staple of 21st century educational practices.12 It

is increasingly common for students to take courses with experiential learning components and for universities and colleges to have experiential learning offices and centers to facilitate such courses Tech needs such an office or center

In a survey of ATU deans and department heads (see Appendix F), less than 8% of our departments claimed not to have some experential learning opportunities through their programs Then, 46% of departments across ATU’s campuses have internship components in their

curriculm Of those without internships in their programs, 44% say they would add internships

to their curriculum if ATU had a central office facilitating them Overall, deans and department heads observed that 75% of such activities only occur “sometimes” or “rarely” While

experential educational activities are common at Tech, a center or office would increase the likelihood every Tech student experiences this educational best practice

There are numerous reasons why ATU needs an experential learning center First, the center would facilitate more service learning and internship opportunities for Tech students A recent Gallup-Purdue study of 30,000 college graduates shows the importance of such activities today They recently found:

if graduates had an internship or job where they… apply what they were learning in the classroom, were actively involved in extracurricular activities and organizations, and worked on projects that took a semester or more to complete, their odds of being engaged

at work doubled also Feeling supported and having deep learning experiences means everything when it comes to long-term outcomes for college graduates.13

Simply put, such experiences positively shape students, make them more employable, and make them better employees Just as important, a recent study finds employers desire college

graduates who work well in teams, have experience applying what they have learned, and

participate effectively in discussion that embodies ethical judgment and decisions-making.14 Experiential learning through course projects and internships develops these very skills

Second, it benefits key stakeholders (students, local businesses, nonprofits and other community organizations) Most students go to college to improve their job prospects in the future In fact, Tech participated in a 2015 study of registered student organizations (RSOs) across the US and found 20% of ATU’s RSOs primary function is “to help students prepare for a career or internship” (see Table 7 in Appendix I).15 Yet, a recent study finds “the majority of students do not believe college adequately prepares them for employment.16 Students want more opportunities while in school to get first-hand, on-the-job training A center for experiential learning can make this happen for more Tech students But the benefits of experiential learning

is also a two-way street It is not just ATU and our students that benefit We also provide a valuable resource for local businesses and nonprofits We give these organizations an important source of discounted labor, as well as a first shot at our students as potential future employees

Third, a center or office is needed to build the infrastructure needed for routine

experiential learning programs There needs to be a central point of contact for faculty interested

in using such educational practices in their courses and programs, as well as for businesses and community organizations participating in such workforce training programs Offering these type

of experiences requires cultivation and maintenance of relationships that are difficult for faculty members already teaching full loads to do More importantly, to protect the university legally there is training of faculty, students and community partners that needs to occur before students are put in internships and service learning programs outside the university

In Appendix G, a table of current colleges and universities with experiential learning centers or offices is provided for further study Based on this list, it appears a center with a staff

of 3-5 employees would provide the needed infrastructure for facilitating greater experiential learning opportunities at Tech A review of 46 colleges and universities in Arkansas uncovered

no schools in the state with such a center; ATU would be the first With a service-learning center, ATU will see increased internship opportunities, an increased marketability of ATU students because they have on-the-job experience and the skills desired by today’s businesses, and ATU would increase its networking and social capital with community stakeholders

Community Engagement Office or Center

ATU needs a center or office for community engagement Such a center will be a one-stop-shop for community engagement and service opportunities at Tech; create a space for students to brainstorm community change/impact projects using the $100 Solution;17 give a

physical space for both students, faculty, staff, and community partners to share and collaborate

on ideas for community service and positive change; provide students with easy access to

resources for service opportunities in the River Valley; and allow Tech to instill a culture of community service in our students that will make them leaders in their communities in the future

In Appendix H, there are a list of colleges and universities with such centers for further study From the 46 colleges and universities in Arkansas, 5 have such centers All the major public universities (UA-Fayetteville, UALR, ASU-Jonesboro, and UCA) in the state have civic engagement centers Like the experiential learning proposal, the staff size would need to be about 3-5 positions The staff size can be supplemented by hiring student interns

A successful center or office for community engagement needs a physical space on campus where students, faculty, staff, and community partners can meet and collaborate It also requires office space for the Coordinator for Leadership & Service, as well as the potential to grow the staff with a director and assistant director positions Staff and interns will work with students looking for service opportunities through Action Days, Service Drives, Alternative Break programs, and connecting students with community partners for volunteer opportunities Such activities will uncover additional internship opportunities for Tech students

Put simply, ATU needs such a center for bridge building between ATU and its

surrounding communities Such a center means increased collaboration between ATU and surrounding communities, greater resource sharing between ATU and surrounding communities, increased experiential learning opportunities to compliment class instruction, and instilling a habit of community involvement and leadership in ATU students that will make them leaders in their communities once upon graduation It also would facilitate ATU participating in national programs like the American Democracy Project.18 A goal of this center should also be achieving the prestigious Carnegie Community Engagement classification.19 Finally, this center can be supported academically through the curriculum by creating a community engagement minor.20 Department Liaison for Businesses and/or Professional Schools

Given ATU runs lean in faculty and staff, we need to be creative and seek more opportunities

to collaborate and share resources in ways that best serve our students One such opportunity for numerous ATU stakeholders to collaborate in service of ATU students is securing them

internships while they are in school and creating job pipelines once they finish their degrees

To promote such opportunities across ATU’s campuses, Norman Career Services should work with each academic department and/or college to secure faculty members as business and professional school liaisons for the department or college In exchange for service to ATU and its students, the faculty members will be given course relief The goal is to secure internships for students while they are in the program and to create job pipelines upon degree completion

A key resource in promoting industry and professional school alliances are alumni These liaisons can use our alumni network to set up industry and professional school relationships This will give alumni stronger ties to the university and offer them the opportunity to give back

to their alma mater through internships and jobs Alumni are an untapped asset at ATU

By creating a network of department liaisons, the capabilities of Norman Career Services (NCS) will be enhanced without the addition of numerous staff positions NCS seeks to increase placement rates for ATU students These liaisons from faculty will provide career services with key information on programming needs, as well as departmental contacts with businesses,

professional schools, and alumni Also, this initiative allows departments and colleges to tailor their business and professional school relations as they see fit Thus, the initiative benefits

departments As faculty research and contact industries and professional schools pertinent to their academic programs, the departments and colleges will gain a greater understanding of what employment needs and opportunities there are in their field, as well as how their curriculum is preparing or could better prepare students for it In fact, departments and colleges would be able

to work more closely with businesses and professional schools and tailor their curriculum to serve job placement of students Faculty would gain connections with employers and produce internship and employment pipelines Some models of such programs for further study are both Florida State University and Multimedia University.21

Finally, this benefits the businesses and professional schools with which we partner, as employers seek talented applicants Our allied businesses will get free or discounted labor through internships and have an inside track at our best and brightest students upon graduation

Academic departments and colleges at ATU seek out opportunities to share their expertise and collaborate with primary and secondary schools and teachers

Education departments routinely collaborate with primary and secondary schools and ATU’s education department is no exception Tech’s graduate and undergraduate programs routinely work with primary and secondary schools to determine employment needs, develop new educational programs, and for internship opportunities for education majors However, most other academic disciplines do not pursue collaboration with primary and secondary schools and teachers Higher education generally and ATU in particular are missing an important

opportunity to improve the students we get before they arrive at our university as a result

One exception is the college of Arts and Humanities, which has the K-12 initiative Similar to the Kahn Academy for students, this ATU college has been providing requested content lectures to Arkansas schoolteachers.22 Essentially, Dr Michael Tarver and Dr Diane Gleason have recruited faculty in the Arts and Humanities to do 30 minute instructional videos

on topics requested by primary and secondary instructors These are not designed for classroom instruction for students (although they can be used in such ways), but are designed to enhance the content knowledge of teachers as they prepare lesson plans The K-12 initiative also bring teachers onto the Tech campus every summer to provide similar content-oriented professional development opportunities To date, the K-12 initiative has resulted in 208 vides and the

distribution of over 2,000 DVDs to teachers in Arkansas It now also makes the videos readily available through its webpage.23 The question is: What other departments and colleges could provide similar professional development instruction to primary and secondary instructors?

To date, this program has not expanded to subjects beyond the Arts and Humanities College This is great public relations Undertaking such programs enhances the educational reputation of ATU, turns local area teachers into advocates for Tech and more likely to

encourage students to attend our university, enhances ATU’s social capital in the state, and improves the instruction of Arkansas primary and secondary students ATU should grow the program and add staff to support the inclusion of lectures from all our Tech colleges and seek other such opportunities for support or primary and secondary education

ATU enhance how it markets its interests to the state government In addition to the team Tech has already assembled, Tech should hire a permanent, full-time government liaison

Currently, ATU hires a lobbyist (Jeff Hogart) as needed as our government liaison In addition a number of administrators, most notably President Bowen and ATU attorney Thomas

Pennington, spend numerous hours in Little Rock to ensure ATU’s voice is heard However, based on conversations with government officials it is apparent ATU can do more

Foremost, government officials recommended ATU have a permanent, full-time contact person that is trustworthy and has in-depth knowledge of ATU and higher education Tech needs

a government liaison that is the “go to” person for questions on higher education and ATU; he/she needs to develop the reputation of being the first person to contact when such issues arise

Of course, the government officials noted this person cannot adequately represent ATU alone They also advised our liaison have a team of ATU staff, administration, faculty and

students they can routinely draw on as needed to make Tech’s interests known In particular, we need to communicate more of the best kept secrets of ATU (e.g., that by percentage more of our students are Arkansans than any other public university in Arkansas or that we are 90th in the country at enhancing the social mobility of our students).24 They also noted how all of the major public universities have a much more visible presence in Little Rock through U of A days, ASU days, etc Little Rock has yet to see an ATU day They also noted we do not have enough

government officials, state commissions and departments, etc., on our campus We need to not just be visible in Little Rock but also bring state stakeholders on our campus The government officials noted Tech has the ties in Little Rock to be better represented, as numerous government officials are either ATU graduates or have family and friends here We need to utilize these connections, cultivate them, and ensure Tech gets its fair shake from state government

Quality of Life

ATU is an important public institution enhancing the quality of life in the River Valley and Ozarks Foremost, ATU is an essential source of workforce development by career training of over 12,000 students (Appendix J) Tech is also an important employer in these regions, as it is the second largest employer in Pope County and eleventh largest in Franklin County.25 In

addition, a 2012 economic impact analysis showed ATU brings some $219 million into the

economies of Pope, Yell, Johnson and Franklin County.26 That said, ATU’s greatest impact is through how it improves the quality of life of our students This has been recognized nationally,

as a CollegeNet study of the impact of institutions of higher education on social mobility ranked ATU 90th in the US This is the highest ranking of any school in the state, as no other Arkansas school made the top 250.27 Similarly, in 2014 ATU was recognized nationally as the most

underrated college in Arkansas because of its high quality education and high acceptance rate.28 However, not all indicators are so positive ATU recently participated in the Great Colleges

to Work For survey (Appendix E) Most responses show scores in the “warrants attention” or

“fair to mediocre” ranges We need to participate in this survey again in 5-10 years In the

meantime, we need to undertake actions that move these scores to “good” or “very good to

excellent.” Below are some possible initiatives for improving the quality of life at ATU and in its surrounding communities

ATU facilitate health and wellness of faculty, staff, students and administration, as well as its surrounding communities by maximizing access to its recreational facilities

ATU’s facilities are essential resources for both the River Valley and Ozarks The

university often opens it facilities to the community as well as its faculty, students and staff Preference is given to academics and university needs, but Tech is an asset to the community whether it is community walkers in Tucker Coliseum during poor weather days or summer band camp for secondary age kids, culinary training for female youth or the Upward Bound program

In Appendix M, there is a summary of the reservation of Tech facilities, primarily by faculty and staff There are opportunities for encouraging greater use of ATU facilities by the community, but it is clear our facilities are being used extensively Still, some ATU facilities are old and rundown and others have become less available to the community.29

The one area of persistent frustration is ATU’s health and wellness facilities These criticisms come in two forms and are from multiple stakeholders First, there is simply the decline in health and wellness facilities at ATU Two major blows were the closing of ATU’s pool and the removal of the track around the football field This affected students, faculty, staff and the community Arguably, it was the sudden closing of the pool that has caused the greatest recent loss in social capital for ATU with the River Valley community.30

Secondly, there is the lack of access to the remaining health and wellness facilities

(weight room and physical exercise facilities, basketball and racquetball courts, etc.) In the 21st century, most schools have 24 hour a day access to health and wellness facilities In fact, at most colleges and universities throughout the nation one can go into the gym at noon and see faculty, staff and students coming together to play basketball, racquetball, etc This does not happen at ATU Tech is in desperate need of a recreational facility, but it also needs to maximize the availability of those we currently have Priority for these facilities has to go to academics and athletics, but that still leaves a lot of opportunities for students, faculty, staff and the community

to use them as well This is an issue been repeatedly raised in the Faculty Senate and Student Government It also came up in multiple open forums during the strategic planning process

The point is that there is minimal availability of ATU recreational facilities for faculty, staff, students and surrounding community members to exercise and maintain healthy lifestyles With Arkansas being the fourth most obese state in the US with a 33% obesity rate (Appendix K), ATU needs to be a leader in promoting health through access to its recreational facilities.31

ATU explore a university-wide “going Green and Gold” environmental plan

ATU has had sporadic, student run environmental programs The problem is these

programs often lived and died with these programs Tech needs to explore what would be a feasible environmental program for the university across all its campuses The options of what this entails range from as simple as a formal recycling program to ATU being a regional leader

in the new “green economy” and environmental conservation movement by becoming a

completely green campus with zero carbon footprint.32 The latter entails the campuses receiving all electricity from wind and/or solar power sources or purchased with renewable energy

certificates and all university vehicles run on biodiesel fuel.33

Some have proposed how a carbon-neutral initiative could be combined with the

academic curriculum on all three of our campuses by utilizing existing programs and creating new emphasis areas in Engineering, Natural and Physical Sciences, Parks and Rec, and

Agriculture Further, the Ozark campus could create programs training solar and wind generator technicians and the ATCC could introduce students to LEED certification.34 This initiative would also generate innovative work study and internship opportunities A good model of a university that has gone green is the University of Central Oklahoma There are significant costs up-front, but carbon-neutral policies have been shown to produce a significant long-term

savings.35 This initiative is easily marketed using our trademark colors (Green and Gold) and it would leverage our Tech name It would also provide a great ethical example for our students

ATU hire at least 12 more full-time public safety officers and seek accreditation as well as routine third-party review of its Public Safety Department

Campus safety is a priority; however, the number of full-time public safety officers for both the Russellville and Ozark campuses is inadequate The ATU Public Safety Department (PSD) has a staff of 18 employees on the Russellville campus (14 full-time public safety officers,

a director, a Campus Emergency Manager, and two administrative assistants) and one at Ozark Comparable Arkansas universities have larger public safety forces UCA employs 29 full-time officers, UALR employs 32, and ASU-Jonesboro 24 UCA, UALR, and ASU-Jonesboro also have a 24 hour dispatch/communication center on their campuses while ATU does not

Currently, the Russellville campus public safety officers’ duties include not only

patrolling the Russellville campus, but also Morton Hall located behind St Mary’s Medical Center and ATCC at the Russellville High School At least ten additional full-time officers are needed to adequately staff Russellville and 2 additional officers are needed for ATU-Ozark Also, the ATU Russellville campus needs and is getting a new public safety building It will provide much needed office space for its officers and the Emergency Manager and include an Emergency Operations Center and Dispatch/Communication Center A building manager

program for campus emergencies is also being implemented by the Emergency Manager, Heath Whorton In addition, he is rolling out campus preparedness trainings for the university and surrounding community as well Collaboration with Russellville police is now commonplace All of this is to say that public safety is taking great strides to provide a secure and safe campus

The missing piece, which will be contingent on a new public safety building with an emergency call center and the hiring of additional manpower, is achieving accreditation

Accreditation and routine third-party review of PSDs is the “gold standard” for colleges and universities Tech has two accreditation options Over 1200 colleges and universities have obtained IACLEA accreditation.36 Alternatively, the Arkansas Chiefs of Police Association offers ALEAP (Arkansas Law Enforcement Accreditation Program) Tech PSD needs

accreditation through one of these options in 5 years and periodic third-party review thereafter

Identity & Brand

Over the last two decades, ATU has dramatically grown and changed In this time, the number of programs we offer has doubled (from 60 to 128), the size of the faculty (181 to 364) and staff (238 to 556) have doubled, and the student body has almost tripled (from 4705 to 1202) In addition, Tech now offers everything from certificates to associates degrees to

bachelors degrees to a doctorate in education (see Appendix J)

More importantly, we have a number of accomplishments to be proud of and share After

17 straight years of record enrollment, ATU now attracts the second largest freshman class in Arkansas every year while maintaining the second highest graduation rate in the state (although

it is well below the national average) ATU’s accolades are piling up as well Tech has the 10th fastest growing graduate school in the country, improve the social mobility of our students more than any other school in Arkansas and 90th in the country, as well as a Nursing program ranked 12th for “Best Nursing Schools: Best in the Eastern Region.” 37

ATU is a respected institution of higher education in the US and is poised to be the

premiere mid-sized public institution of higher education in the state of Arkansas However, Tech needs to better share its best kept secrets As one example, how many know the Behavioral Science Department at ATU has undertaken over 20 community service projects in the last few years that range from an annual Red Flag Campaign to working with the Women’s Battered